On Esports AV: ZeeVee

Tony Torres, Integrations Engineer at ZeeVee
(Image credit: Getty Images)

AVT Question: Please share trends and insights into esports’ dynamic and quickly evolving landscape.

Thought Leader: Tony Torres, Integrations Engineer at ZeeVee

Software-defined video over Ethernet, or SDVoE, brings a formidable signal distribution solution for creating an esports arena or lab in that it enables the required ultra-low latency and real-time feedback for gamers to compete at the highest level. Beyond this, it provides a means to remove the heat- and noise-generating sources from the location of play to a centralized, climate-controlled rack room without adding detrimental latency. This is important, as a bank of eight gaming stations can utilize a daunting 8kW of power locally.

For example, ZeeVee’s SDVoE encoders and decoders only add 78ms of latency, which falls within the parameters of high-end monitors and does not impact esports competitors’ performance. This focus on low latency is real as it has been scientifically proven that professional gamers have a heightened level of visual processing than the average person.

Esports is an audience-centric and profit-generating enterprise and needs to engage spectators just like football, basketball, or hockey." —Tony Torres, Integrations Engineer at ZeeVee

Another thing to keep in mind is that esports is an audience-centric and profit-generating enterprise and needs to engage spectators just like football, basketball, or hockey. Features like multiview enable the aggregation of gaming station screens onto huge video walls for audiences to watch the action from several gamers simultaneously. For instance, a four-on-four match could be shown in a two-by-two multiview with each feed being switched to a main focus screen to share highlights. This also helps keep the announcer on point and able to see and direct the attention of the audience to notable points in the action in real-time.

As a specialized application, it is crucial to engage with an integrator who knows how to design a proper esports facility. Selecting one who has experience in sports and entertainment venues and understands low latency, heat, and noise considerations, as well as the benefits of AVoIP multiview capabilities, will result in a win for players
and spectators alike.

Cindy Davis
Brand and content director of AV Technology

Cindy Davis is the brand and content director of AV Technology (AVT). She was a critical member of the AVT editorial team when the title won the “Best Media Brand” laurel in the 2018 SIIA Jesse H. Neal Awards. Davis moderates several monthly AV/IT roundtables and enjoys facilitating and engaging in deeper conversations about the complex topics shaping the ever-evolving AV/IT industry. She explores the ethos of collaboration, hybrid workplaces, experiential spaces, and artificial intelligence to share with readers. Previously, she developed the TechDecisions brand of content sites for EH Publishing, named one of the “10 Great Business Media Websites” by B2B Media Business magazine. For more than 25 years, Davis has developed and delivered multiplatform content for AV/IT B2B and consumer electronics B2C publications, associations, and companies. A lifelong New Englander, Davis makes time for coastal hikes with her husband, Gary, and their Vizsla rescue, Dixie, sailing on one of Gloucester’s great schooners and sampling local IPAs. Connect with her on LinkedIn